Discover the Horror Podcast

It Conquered the World (1956), The She-Creature (1956), and It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) For fans of the classic Universal monsters, Jack Pierce is a familiar name. But the artists who directly followed him don't always get the same recognition. A couple of decades after Universal's iconic monsters first appeared on screen, Paul Blaisdell was creating some of the 1950s' most distinctive creatures on a fraction of those budgets. His monsters became familiar sights to fans, even when his name didn't. We're here to help change that. In this episode, we're covering three films Blaisdell worked on and exploring his place in the history of movie monsters. Working in his garage, often with budgets of just a few hundred dollars and help from his wife, Jackie, and later his friend Bob Burns, Blaisdell brought some wonderfully strange creatures to the screen. What he lacked in resources, he made up for in imagination and ingenuity. That's one of the reasons we started this podcast: to help people discover not just the films, but the talent behind the camera. So settle in as we celebrate Paul Blaisdell and the remarkable monsters he gave us. Movies mentioned int his episode: Alien (1979), Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (1958), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), Bog (1979), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Creature of Destruction (1968), Cruise into Terror (1978), Cult of the Cobra (1955), Day the World Ended (1955), Dracula (1931), Fiend Without a Face (1958), First Man Into Space (1959), Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959), The Green Mile (1999), House of Wax (1953), How to Make a Monster (1958), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), Invisible Invaders (1959), It Came from Hollywood (1982), It Conquered the World (1956), It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), King Dinosaur (1955), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Old Yeller (1957), The She-Creature (1956), Up from the Depths (1979), Voodoo Woman (1957), Wizard of Gore (1970), Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1967)

From 1897 until 1962, the Grand Guignol Theatre in Paris staged scenes of violence—decapitations, slashings, rape, eye-gouging, and plenty of bloodletting—all in full view of audiences who paid to witness such acts of depravity. The crowds attending the small theatre ranged from ordinary people to royalty from around the world. The film world soon followed, bringing the blood-soaked theatre's themes and images of violence to the silver screen. It reminds us that there has long been an audience for this type of "entertainment." Now, Severin Films is releasing a new box set called Morbid Pleasures: A Compendium Of Grand Guignol & The Grand Guignolesque, featuring 12 discs with more than 80 hours of content, including 60 films dating from 1895 to 2025. This is truly a history lesson for horror fans, offering an opportunity to see just how far back these twisted tales reached audiences! To help us explore this new set, Severin's own David Gregory joins us to get into the blood and guts of the collection, discuss the Grand Guignol, and dig into a few other fun topics along the way! Films mentioned in this episode: Africa addio (1966), Antropophagus (1981), The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016), The Beyond (1981), Beyond the Darkness (1979), Bloody Moon (1981), Burial Ground (1981), Dead Time (2007), Eerie Tales (1919), Eyes Without a Face (1960), The Girl with the Needle (2024), Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971), Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (1968), Impetigore (2019), Island of Lost Souls (1932), Li Hang le cruel (1920), Horror of Dracula (1958), Maniac (2012), Metamorphosis (1990), Mondo Cane (1962), Mondo Cane 2 (1963), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Murders in the Zoo (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Overboard (1987), The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak (1984), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Plague Town (2008), The Priest (1978), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Satan's Slaves (2017), Satan's Slaves 2: Communion (2022), Sheila and the Brainstem (1989), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Strangler's Morgue (1946), Suspense (1913), Theatre of Death (1966), Theatre of Horrors: The Sordid Story of Paris' Grand Guignol (2025), The Ugly Stepsister (2025), What Have You Done to Solange? (1972), Wizard of Gore (1970), Wizard of Gore (2007), Women of the World (1963)

For our second episode in this series, we move into the 1930s. Beyond Universal's horror boom—and, honestly, the emergence of the horror genre as we know it—there was a lot going on during this decade. With the Great Depression, the introduction of the Hays Code, and another World War on the horizon, audiences continued to escape into the world of monsters. But while these films are considered "old classics" today, they still contain some pretty dark subject matter. So join us as we explore this decade, discussing some of the major events and titles that shaped the horror genre almost 100 years ago! Titles mentioned in this episode: Black Cat (1934), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dark Eyes of London (1939), Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Dr. X (1932), The Ghoul (1933), Ghost Cast and the Mysterious Shamisen (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), Frankenstein (1931), Freaks (1932), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Jazz Singer (1927), King Kong (1933), London After Midnight (1927), La Llorna (1933), M (1931), Mad Love (1935), Mark of the Vampire (1935), The Mummy (1932), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Murders in the Zoo (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Old Dark House (1932), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Son of Kong (1933), Song at Midnight (1937), The Unholy Three (1930), The Vampire Bat (1933), Vampyr (1932), Werewolf of London (1935), White Zombie (1932), The Wizard of Oz (1939)  

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973 & 2010) We know we've covered our share of made-for-TV movies, especially from the 70s, but this time out we're looking at a staple from the 70s that was later remade in 2010, with none other than Guillermo del Toro producing. The story is about an old house that has something living in the sealed up fireplace. And when you're warned not to open it, maybe you should listen. For those that grew up in the '70s, the original was one that gave that generation a lot of nightmares. Even if you didn't see it upon the original airing, it was one that was sought out by horror fans because of its reputation. Then over 35 years later, since del Toro was one of those kids affected by it, he wanted to do his version. While these two versions are similar in some ways, they area also very different. How effective is the original, and then compared to the updated remake? Tune in to find out! Movies mentioned in this episode: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), The Fly (1986), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), The Lord of the Rings (2001-03), Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), Nekromantik (1988), The Night Stalker (1972), Planet of the Apes (1968), Psychic Killer (1975), The Thing (1982), True Grit (1969)

We know this isn't the first time we've preached the wonders of silent films, but there are so many amazing movies from that era. As the horror historians that we all are, it's always fascinating to look back at where it all began. Fans often point to the 1930s and the Universal Studios classics as "the beginning," but horror was already there long before then—even if no one was necessarily calling these movies horror films yet. In this episode, we're going to dig into the 1910s and 1920s to look not only at the films being made, but also at what was happening in the world around them and how those events may have influenced and changed what audiences were seeing on screen. Even if silent films aren't necessarily your favorites, maybe hearing some of this horror history will make you want to give them another try. Who knows? Maybe this time around you'll see something different—or, at the very least, learn a little more about the genre we all love. Movies Mentioned in this Episode: Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Cat and the Canary (1927), Un chien andalou (1929), Dante's Inferno (1911), Dracula (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Frankenstein (1931), The Golem (1920), Häxan (1922), House of the Devil (1896), The Hunchback of the Morgue (1973), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Frankenstein (1910), King Kong (1933), Life Without a Soul (1915), London After Midnight (1927), The Man Who Laughs (1928), The Mummy (1932), Nosferatu (1922), The Penalty (1920), The Phantom Carriage (1921), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Student of Prague (1926), A Trip to the Moon (1902), The Unholy Three (1925 & 1930), The Unknown (1927), West of Zanzibar (1928)